1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally in the field of semiconductors. More particularly, the invention is in the field of semiconductor packaging.
2. Background Art
A lead frame package is a commonly utilized semiconductor package in which a semiconductor die is attached to a lead frame and encapsulated in molding compound for protection from environmental contaminants and damage from handling. In the lead frame package, the lead frame can include a paddle for providing structural support for the semiconductor die and a number of leads for providing electrical connectivity between the die and external structures, such as system-level circuit boards. Conventionally, wire bond technology and flip chip technology have been utilized to electrically connect the semiconductor die to the leads of the lead frame.
In a conventional lead frame package utilizing wire bond technology, bond pads on the semiconductor die are electrically connected to the respective leads of the lead frame through wire bonds. However, the wire bonds have inductance and resistance, which can undesirably reduce the performance of the conventional lead frame package. Also, the wire bonds are typically made of gold, which undesirably increases the cost of the conventional lead frame package.
In a conventional lead frame package utilizing flip chip technology, solder bumps are formed over the active surface of the die and connected to bond pads on the semiconductor die by a routing layer, such as a redistribution layer (RDL). The semiconductor die is then “flipped” over so that the solder bumps contact the respective leads of the lead frame, thereby providing to electrical connectivity between the die and the leads. However, the solder bumps and the routing layer that are required to form a flip chip can undesirably increase the cost of the conventional lead frame package.